alaska winter stars – FasterSkier.com

Schumacher and Brennan Lead the Way in Season-Opening Race to the Outhouse

Gavin KentchNovember 14, 2021

GOVERNMENT PEAK RECREATION AREA, above Palmer, Alaska — High-end nordic ski racing was last seen in this country in mid-April, when a bevy of national-team members who call Alaska home competed in a pair of FIS races in mid-winter conditions, followed by a more vernal 2,000’ hill climb the following weekend. Less than seven months later, as Alaska kicks off another season of ski racing, little has changed: the country’s deepest domestic fields, single-digit temps,...

General Juniors News US Ski Team

Junior Skier of the Year

Rachel PerkinsApril 23, 2019

Junior Skier of the Year With the 2018/2019 season officially in the rearview, FasterSkier is running a series of articles highlighting some of the players and performances from the season. This year, the junior skier of the year is Gus Schumacher. Perhaps it is a testament to the steady growth of U.S. developmental programming or perhaps it is a trickle down effect as Americans see more success on the World Cup level; one thing...

General Interviews News Racing

The Phenom Next Door: Gus Schumacher Looks to Lahti

Gavin KentchJanuary 17, 2019

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Gus Schumacher spent last winter traveling the world for ski racing, including laying down the season’s most dramatic anchor leg, non-Jessie Diggins edition, to bring the U.S. men’s relay team from fourth to a historic second at World Juniors. The then-high school senior also spent the season touring the country to plan his future in ski racing, talking with multiple NCAA coaches to discuss their programs and weigh everything from coaching philosophy...

General Juniors News Racing

Gus Schumacher Leads the Way in First Besh Cup Weekend

Gavin KentchDecember 18, 2018

Note: FasterSkier is accepting submissions for regional race reports, including for juniors racing. If you would like to see a particular race circuit covered and have the writer with the will to do it, please have them email info@fasterskier.com. Be sure to include a link to results, and preferably a few original race photos with proper credits. GOVERNMENT PEAK RECREATION AREA, outside Palmer, Alaska — On a day that had a decidedly old school feel,...

News Team nominations US Ski Team

U.S. Ski Team’s 2018/2019 Nominations

FasterSkierMay 24, 2018

last year’s World Cup squad are retirees Andy Newell (the latter of which isn’t exactly retiring), and Rosie Brennan. Simi Hamilton leads the men’s team as its lone A-team member, while Sadie Bjornsen, Sophie Caldwell, Jessie Diggins, and Ida Sargent are all back on the A-team. The B-team includes three returners — Erik Bjornsen, Paddy Caldwell and Scott Patterson — as well as 25-year-old rookie Kevin Bolger, out of the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation...

General Interviews Juniors Other Racing

Under 23 Questions: Molly Gellert

FasterSkierFebruary 4, 2018

In an effort to showcase the North Americans who competed at last week’s International Ski Federation (FIS) 2018 Nordic Junior/U23 World Championships in Goms, Switzerland, we asked those qualifying athletes several questions about themselves — actually, we had them fill in the blanks. Here we have 17-year-old Molly Gellert, of Alaska Winter Stars, who represented the U.S. at her first Junior Worlds. Last week in Goms, Gellert qualified for the

General Interviews Juniors Other Racing

Under 23 Questions: Gus Schumacher

FasterSkierFebruary 1, 2018

In an effort to showcase the North Americans competing at this week’s International Ski Federation (FIS) 2018 Nordic Junior/U23 World Championships in Goms, Switzerland, we asked those qualifying athletes several questions about themselves — actually, we had them fill in the blanks. Here we have 17-year-old Gus Schumacher, of Alaska Winter Stars (AWS), who’s representing the U.S. at his first Junior Worlds. In three individual races in Goms, Schumacher has placed in the top 30...

Biathlon General Interviews Juniors Racing

20-for-20 with Alex Kilby

FasterSkierFebruary 21, 2017

You know the drill. We did “Under 23 Questions” with the North American athletes at Nordic Junior and U23 World Championships, now we’re checking in with the world-class U.S. and Canadian biathletes that will be competing at 2017 International Biathlon Union (IBU) Youth & Junior World Championships Feb. 22-28 in Osrblie (also known as Brezno-Osrblie), Slovakia. We had them fill in the blanks to tell us more about themselves. Starting off, here’s 18-year-old Alex Kilby, of Alaska Winter...

General Juniors News Racing Regional / Local

Besh Cup Series Wraps up in Fairbanks as Team Alaska is Named

Gavin KentchFebruary 8, 2017

When is a race-time temperature of 2 above not so bad? When it's 16 below at the airport. Team Alaska was named as the Besh Cup series wrapped up in Fairbanks over the weekend, in conditions that one local skier described as "not too cold."

Juniors News Racing Regional / Local

APU Prevails While Schumacher Turns Heads at Besh Cup 1 & 2

Gavin KentchDecember 20, 2016

Note: FasterSkier is accepting submissions for regional race reports. If you would like to see a particular race circuit covered and have the writer with the will to do it, please have them email last eight domestic 15 k races, dating back to West Yellowstone in November 2015, he has eight podium finishes, including five wins. But he is quick with an answer when asked about the last 15 k skate he did not win:...

Other News

Lickety-Splits Camp Connects Anchorage Kids, Top Athletes

Alex KochonDecember 30, 2014

Last Monday, 150 bright-eyed kids got a chance to ski with 23 top US athletes at the 4th Annual Lickety-Splits Ski Camp for Kids. The camp offered the opportunity for kids to spend the afternoon playing games and learning to ski from some of the best skiers in the country. Tyler Kornfield, the founder of Lickety-Splits, noted “This year’s camp was the best yet. Since the beginning, we have had between 100 and 140 kids [per year]...

General Interviews Juniors Racing

Racing with Olympians: Anchorage’s Gus Schumacher, 13, Youngest at SuperTour Finals

Alex KochonMarch 24, 20142

Gus Schumacher, 13, doesn't have any qualms about racing up -- even if it is against Andy Newell. He's met Newell and several other U.S. Olympians in person at the World Cup, but says it's an amazing experience to race them at home at SuperTour Finals.

General News

With Victory at Crow Pass, Patterson Focuses on Junior Season

Audrey ManganAugust 9, 2012

On July 21, University of Vermont junior Scott Patterson became the youngest winner of the Crow Pass Crossing, a grueling 24-mile backcountry trail race in Girdwood, Alaska. With a winning time of 3:05:16.7, the 20-year-old survived thousands of feet of climbing, treacherous and overgrown terrain, a few river crossings, and the ever-present danger that “you could literally run right into a bear” — clearly, a win that signifies Patterson is in pretty good shape. But...

News

Toko: Field Reports US Nationals and Mid A Wins

FasterSkierJanuary 17, 2012

Field Report from Alaska Winter Stars For the 30k Classic Mass Start, we waxed David Norris with LF Moly then HF Red, then JetStream Red with some XCold Powder mixed in. For his kick, we started with Base Green binder and then covered it with layers of the new Nordic Grip Red. His skis were good and he ended up 2nd behind Noah Hoffman. Jan Buron, Head Coach, Alaska Winter Stars Field Report from the...

Interviews Juniors News

From the Pack: Hennessy Pushes Through Heart Issues

Alex KochonOctober 17, 20111

The way 16-year-old Amelia Hennessy throws the word “tachycardia” around, you would think she was talking about an annoying homework assignment. But when the high school runner and nordic skier felt her heart beating abnormally hard to the point of severe dizziness, she knew her reoccurring problem – supraventricular tachycardia – was worse than the average teenager’s. The issue came frighteningly front and center in August, when Hennessy collapsed at the finish line of the...